Ice maker

ABSTRACT

An ice maker includes an ice making bowl having at least one compartment in the shape of a rotational body and adapted to freeze water to form ice. A heating facility is assigned to the ice making bowl to heat the compartment. An ice body ejection facility has an ejection element which is maintained under a spring force to seek a contact with a surface region of an ice body for discharging the ice body from the compartment solely by the spring force after the ice body has begun to thaw.

The present invention relates to an ice maker and a household appliance having such an ice maker, having an ice making bowl containing at least one compartment in the shape of a rotational body, in which water is able to freeze to form ice, having a heating facility assigned to the ice making bowl to heat the respective compartment and having an ice body ejection facility, an ejection element of which can be applied to a surface region of the respective ice body to guide it out of the associated compartment.

Different embodiments of ice makers of the type mentioned above are already known. With such an embodiment (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,948, JP 2005/300095 A) the ice making bowl used is preferably made of metal and is heated electrically after ice bodies have formed from water held in the individual bowl compartments, until all the ice bodies are loose in their bowl compartments. However this thawing process does not act consistently on all the bowl compartments so it takes a relatively long time. After the thawing process the loose ice bodies are ejected from the ice making bowl out of their bowl compartments by means of separate movable elements. The movement of these movable elements is driven by means of an electric motor. Thawing the ice bodies until they are loose in their bowl compartments means that a not inconsiderable proportion of the previously formed ice is turned immediately back into melted water. The resulting quantities of melted water are considered to be undesirable, as they are collected in a collection container together with the ice bodies. Also the production of these quantities of melted water means that the energy balance is not particularly favorable during ice body formation.

In a different embodiment of the known ice makers (see for example DE 10 2005 003 237 A1, DE 10 2005 003 243 A1, DE 10 2006 061 100 A1) the ice making bowl used is preferably made of metal and is also heated electrically after ice bodies have formed from water held in the individual bowl compartments, until the individual ice bodies are loose in their bowl compartments. However this thawing process does not act consistently on all the bowl compartments here either, so it takes a relatively long time. After the thawing process the entire ice making bowl containing the loose ice bodies is rotated so that said ice bodies drop out of their bowl compartments into a collection container. However appreciable quantities of melted water that has formed during the thawing process also land in the collection container together with the said ice bodies here too. In this instance too the additional discharging of quantities of melted water that are undesirable per se is therefore also considered to be less acceptable in terms of the production of ice bodies. Also as a result the energy balance for ice body formation is not particularly good in this instance either.

In a further embodiment of the known ice makers (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,477, US 2005/0160757 A1) the ice making bowl used is made from a flexible material. After ice bodies have formed from water held in the individual bowl compartments of the ice making bowl, said ice making bowl is subjected by a motor-driven twisting mechanism to a mechanical twisting process such that the ice bodies formed in the individual bowl compartments fall out of said compartments and can be received by a collection container. However the repeated twisting of the ice making bowl can impair its stability and leaktightness over time, which should be considered undesirable.

The object of the invention is therefore to show a way in which an ice maker of the type mentioned in the introduction should be configured in a relatively simple manner to prevent both the formation of undesirable quantities of melted water when ice bodies formed in the respective compartments of the ice making bowl are released and also strain on the ice making bowl during the release of the relevant ice bodies with its resulting impairment of its stability.

The above object is achieved inventively with an ice maker of the type mentioned in the introduction in that the respective ejection element can be applied to the associated ice body subject to the exertion of a spring force, such that the relevant ice body can be guided out of its compartment after starting to thaw solely by the spring force exerted on it.

The invention has the advantage that it is not necessary to wait for a thawing process for all the ice bodies formed in the ice making bowl before they can be ejected but it is sufficient for the respective ice body to start to thaw for it then to be ejected out of its bowl compartment solely by the spring force exerted on it. Compared with the ice makers considered in the introduction, in which it is necessary for each of the ice bodies to thaw, the invention operates with shorter heating periods of the heating facility. This allows a good energy balance to be achieved for the household appliance in which the ice maker is fitted and at the same time the formation of undesirable melted water is actively prevented here. Also the ice making bowl is not exposed to any strain that causes its stability to be impaired.

According to one expedient development of the invention a separating wall is provided above the respective compartment of the ice making bowl, to deflect the ice body guided out of the respective compartment into a collection container by means of an ejection element. This has the advantage that ice bodies moved out of the ice making bowl can be collected relatively simply in the collection container without this requiring movement of the ice making bowl.

A through opening is expediently present in the separating wall for the passage of the respective ejection element. This has the advantage of a compact ice body ejection facility that can be operated in a reliable manner.

The through opening in the separating wall and the respective ejection element are preferably narrower in width than the width of the respective compartment of the ice making bowl. This measure has the advantage that the moving of the respectively thawed ice body out of its compartment in the ice making bowl and the receiving of said ice body in the collection container or holder can be optimally ensured by the respective ejection element and the ice body ejection facility.

According to one expedient embodiment of the invention either the respective ejection element is formed by a torsion spring attached to a motor-driven axis of rotation with a finger that can be applied to the associated ice body or the respective ejection element is formed by an ejection finger supported rotatably on a motor-driven axis of rotation, between which and the relevant axis of rotation a torsion spring is disposed and which can be applied to the associated ice body. These measures bring with them the advantage that corresponding rotation of the respective ejection element can allow this latter to be applied to an ice body with a desired pretension force.

According to another expedient embodiment of the invention the respective ejection element can be formed by a leaf spring fastened to a motor-driven axis of rotation and able to be applied to the associated ice body. This also offers the advantage that corresponding rotation of the respective ejection element can thus allow this latter to be applied to an ice body with a desired pretension force.

The shape of the rotational body is preferably cylindrical. This has the advantage that the ice making bowl can be embodied relatively simply and in such a manner that it retains its shape.

The rotational body segments of all the surfaces provided expediently have parallel axes of rotation. This also has the advantage of producing an ice making bowl that can be embodied in a simple manner and such that it retains its shape.

The compartments are preferably disposed in a row. This advantageously produces an ice making bowl that can be embodied in a quite particularly simple manner.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments based on drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the invention with an ejection element in a first position in contact with an ice body formed in a compartment of an ice making bowl,

FIG. 2 shows the ice maker shown in FIG. 1 with the ejection element, by means of which the ice body that has started to thaw in the meantime can be guided out of the compartment of the ice making bowl, in a second position,

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an ice making bowl that has been proven to work in practice, having eight compartments to form eight ice bodies, a corresponding number of ejection elements and a separating wall for directing the ice bodies guided out of the compartments by the ejection elements into a collection container,

FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of an alternative ejection element of an ice maker according to the invention and

FIG. 5 shows a schematic sectional view of a further alternative ejection element of an ice maker according to the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show sectional views of an ice maker 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The ice maker 1 contains an ice making bowl 2 having at least one compartment 3, in which water supplied to the relevant compartment 3 can freeze to form an ice body 4. The respective compartment, for example the compartment 3 of the ice maker 1, has the shape of a rotational body in its receiving region, in this instance a cylindrical shape. The rotational body shapes of all the compartments provided in the ice making bowl 2 here have parallel axes of rotation, which preferably coincide in a single axis of rotation here. All the compartments present in the ice making bowl 2 are disposed in a row here.

In order to allow the water held by the respective compartment, for example the compartment 3 of the ice maker 1, to freeze to form an ice body 4, the ice maker 1 is accommodated in a refrigeration region of a cooling and/or refrigeration appliance (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) having the required freezing temperatures.

FIG. 1 shows an ejection element 5 effecting the ejection of the ice body 4 out of the compartment 3 of the ice making bowl 2 in a first position in contact with the ice body 4. Said ejection element 5 is formed here by a torsion or spiral spring 5 attached to a motor-driven axis of rotation 6 with a contact element, which can be applied to and, according to FIG. 1, also lies against the ice body. The relevant ejection element 5 can alternatively also be formed using other spring elements, as described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

Associated with the ice maker 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is a heating facility 7, which can be connected by way of a switch 8 to a voltage source 9. This voltage source 9 can be an alternating voltage source. In FIG. 1 the heating facility 7 is shown as out of operation—the switch 8 is open.

FIG. 2 shows the ejection element 5 effecting the ejection of the ice body 4 out of the compartment 3 of the ice making bowl 2 in a second position, in which it moves the ice body 4 out of the compartment 3, after said ice body 4 has been thawed by the heating facility 7 to such an extent—the switch 8 is closed—that it can be guided out of the compartment 3 solely by the spring force of the ejection element 5 exerted on it. The exertion of this spring force here means that complete thawing of the ice body 4 from the compartment 3 in which it was formed is not required.

The spring force exerted on the ice body 4 starting to thaw in the compartment 3 by the ejection element 5 is in practice so great due to corresponding setting of said ejection element 5 by means of a motor (not shown here), to the output shaft 6 of which the ejection element 5 is attached, that the ice body 4 is projected out of the compartment 3 with a certain degree of suddenness.

In order to be able to catch or receive the relevant ice body 4 further to its projected movement in a collection container or holder (not shown), a separating wall 10 is provided—as can be seen from the perspective view according to FIG. 3—above the respective compartment, for example the compartment 3 of the ice making bowl 2, said separating wall 10 being able to deflect the ice body moved or projected out of its associated compartment 3 by means of an ejection element 5 into the abovementioned collection container or holder.

It can also be seen from FIG. 3 that the separating wall 10 projects obliquely into the direction of movement of the eight torsion springs in total here, which are supported by the motor-driven drive shaft. In the case of the ice bodies released from the eight compartments of the ice making bowl 2 by the abovementioned projection, they either drop immediately into the collection container or holder (not shown) present in front of the ice maker 1 shown in FIG. 3 or they strike the separating wall 10 and slide from it into the abovementioned collection container or holder. To prevent such projected ice bodies 4 falling into the compartments 3 of the ice making dish 2, the abovementioned eight torsion springs could be moved into a position at least partially covering the opening regions of said compartments on the ice body output side.

The separating wall 10 shown in FIG. 3 features through openings 11 for the passage of the respective ejection element, for example the ejection element 5. The through openings 11 in the separating wall 10 and the respective ejection element 5 are respectively narrower in width than the width of the respective compartment 3 of the ice making bowl 1; in the present instance the widths of the through openings 11 in the separating wall 10 and each ejection element 5 are respectively around half or even less than the width of the respective compartment 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative to the ejection element 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. According to FIG. 4 the ejection element 5 can be formed by an ejection finger 12 supported rotatably on the motor-driven axis of rotation 6, between which and the motor-driven axis of rotation 6 a torsion spring or tension spring 13 is disposed. This torsion spring or tension spring 13 is anchored by a suspension part 14 in the rotation shaft 6 and with its other end it pretensions the ejection finger 12 in relation to the rotation shaft 6. As a result the ejection finger 12 can lie against the associated ice body 4 in the same manner as the contact element of the torsion spring according to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a further alternative to the ejection element 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. According to FIG. 5 the ejection element 5 can be formed by a leaf spring 15 fastened to the motor-driven axis of rotation 6, which lies against the associated ice body 4 in the same manner as the contact element of the torsion spring 5 according to FIGS. 1 to 3.

Finally it should be noted that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment described above and its implementations given as alternatives. Rather a plurality of further modifications are possible in respect of the embodiment of the individual elements, in particular in respect of the respective ejection element. The respective ejection element can thus include a compression-type spring or a tension-type spring or a torsion-type spring or be configured as such. It should also be mentioned with regard to the abovementioned motor-driven rotation shaft 6 in each instance that it does not have to be driven directly by a motor but that said drive can be and in practice also is brought about indirectly by way of a transmission.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

-   1 Ice maker -   2 Ice making bowl -   3 Compartment -   4 Ice body -   5 Ejection element, torsion spring -   6 Axis of rotation -   7 Heating facility -   8 Switch -   9 Voltage source -   10 Separating wall -   11 Through opening -   12 Ejection finger -   13 Torsion spring or tension spring -   14 Suspension part -   15 Leaf spring 

1-11. (canceled)
 12. An ice maker, comprising: an ice making bowl having at least one compartment in the shape of a rotational body and adapted to freeze water to form ice; a heating facility assigned to the ice making bowl to heat the compartment; and an ice body ejection facility having an ejection element maintained under a spring force to seek a contact with a surface region of an ice body for discharging the ice body from the compartment solely by the spring force after the ice body has begun to thaw.
 13. The ice maker of claim 12, further comprising a separating wall provided above the compartment of the ice making bowl, to deflect the ice body moved out of the compartment by the ejection element into a collection container.
 14. The ice maker of claim 13, wherein the separating wall has a through opening for passage of the ejection element.
 15. The ice maker of claim 12, wherein the ejection element is constructed in the shape of an ejection finger.
 16. The ice maker of claim 14, wherein the through opening in the separating wall and the ejection element have a width which is narrower than a width of the compartment of the ice making bowl.
 17. The ice maker of claim 12, wherein the ejection element is formed by a torsion spring attached to a motor-driven axis of rotation and having a contact element for contact upon the ice body.
 18. The ice maker of claim 12, wherein the ejection element is formed by an ejection finger supported rotatably on a motor-driven axis of rotation, and a torsion spring arranged between the ejection finger and the axis of rotation for contact upon the ice body.
 19. The ice maker of claim 12, wherein the ejection element is formed by a leaf spring fastened to a motor-driven axis of rotation for contact upon the ice body.
 20. The ice maker of claim 12, wherein the shape of the rotational body is cylindrical.
 21. The ice maker of claim 12, wherein the ice making bowl has a plurality of said compartment, wherein rotational body segments of the plurality of said compartment have parallel axes of rotation.
 22. The ice maker of claim 21, wherein the plurality of said compartment are disposed in a row.
 23. A household appliance, comprising an ice maker including an ice making bowl containing at least one compartment in the shape of a rotational body and adapted to freeze water to form ice, a heating facility assigned to the ice making bowl to heat the compartment, and an ice body ejection facility having an ejection element maintained under a spring force to seek a contact with a surface region of an ice body for discharging the ice body from the compartment solely by the spring force after the ice body has begun to thaw.
 24. The household appliance of claim 23, wherein the ice maker has a separating wall provided above the compartment of the ice making bowl, to deflect the ice body moved out of the compartment by the ejection element into a collection container.
 25. The household appliance of claim 25, wherein the separating wall has a through opening for passage of the ejection element.
 26. The household appliance of claim 23, wherein the ejection element is constructed in the shape of an ejection finger.
 27. The household appliance of claim 25, wherein the through opening in the separating wall and the ejection element have a width which is narrower than a width of the compartment of the ice making bowl.
 28. The household appliance of claim 23, wherein the ejection element is formed by a torsion spring attached to a motor-driven axis of rotation and having a contact element for contact upon the ice body.
 29. The household appliance of claim 23, wherein the ejection element is formed by an ejection finger supported rotatably on a motor-driven axis of rotation, and a torsion spring arranged between the ejection finger and the axis of rotation for contact upon the ice body.
 30. The household appliance of claim 23, wherein the ejection element is formed by a leaf spring fastened to a motor-driven axis of rotation for contact upon the ice body.
 31. The household appliance of claim 23, wherein the shape of the rotational body is cylindrical.
 32. The household appliance of claim 23, wherein the ice making bowl has a plurality of said compartment, wherein rotational body segments of the plurality of said compartment have parallel axes of rotation.
 33. The household appliance of claim 32, wherein the plurality of said compartment are disposed in a row. 